Back in the day, I thought I was pretty slick. I think most Jr. High School kids feel that way. I felt the feeling the strongest as I peered through the blinds watching my parents leave for church. This wasn’t a one-time thing. I did it often. A fake cough here; a “Mom I don’t feel so good” there. The real secret was heating up a washcloth and putting it on my forehead for a few minutes and sure enough, as fast as my mother’s hand left my head, they bought it. As I would watch my parents pull out of our driveway in my father’s old Crown Victoria, a sense of jubilation would wash over me.
I would fire up the Sega Genesis and play video games for a couple hours until they got home. When I heard the garage door I tossed the controller, hopped quickly in bed, pulled the covers up and pretended to be asleep. At that age I was sure they fell for it every time, now I’m not so sure.
When I was that age I would do anything I could to get out of going to church. Most kids go through a phase like that. And as parents, we often feel pretty ill-equipped to help our children grow in their faith. It might be because no one ever helped us at that age, or it could be because we struggle to lead ourselves at times. Whatever the reason, most if not all parents feel this way at one time or another. Perhaps the most difficult part of trying to raise our children to grow in their faith, is trying to figure out where to start?
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
God seems to indicate that there is a direct connection between how we teach our children during these first phases of their lives and the ultimate trajectory of their lives. That’s huge when you think about it. Not to put more pressure on you, but what you do now matters. How you lead and teach your children about God now has the ability to impact them for a lifetime.
While that may seem overwhelming and intimidating it doesn’t have to be, because there is some great news: You are not alone.
You may be responsible for your child, but you don’t have to do it all by yourself. There is no question that you are the greatest influence in your child’s life. But you aren’t the only influence. God has designed the church to be a support for you and a partner in helping your family grow more and more in their faith.
So, if we want to make sure our children grow in their faith and start down a path toward God that they will never depart from, where does it start? It starts with the church. It starts with going to church. It starts with making a commitment that being a part of the church matters. It starts with making it a priority.
If we want to raise our children to find and follow Jesus then it begins with making the decision as a family that nothing else matters more. Sleeping in isn’t more important. Sports aren’t more important. Regular weekend trips to the lake all summer are not more important. What matters most is consistently showing up and showing our kids what it looks to make God our number one priority.
Thanks for all that you do!
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